


Air

by Michevalier



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V, Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS, 遊☆戯☆王SEVENS | Yu-Gi-Oh!: Sevens (Anime)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Anyways, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Background Relationships, Drama, Feelings Realization, Fictional Disease, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, GakuYuga, I'm here to crush y'all with my biggest GakuYuga so far lol, Insecurity, M/M, Misunderstandings, Moonroadshipping, Mutual Pining, Paranoia, Slow Burn, Tension, Transparency Disease, Violence, those include RookRomi and RyoSpe and the tiniest bit of YusaYuya, wassup beeches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:34:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27310516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Michevalier/pseuds/Michevalier
Summary: Unable to accept their lives growing apart more and more, Gakuto felt like the precious bond between him and Yuga kept weakening as well...And yet there was still so much they didn't tell each other, so many feelings that remained unspoken... but fate prepared even more of cruel tricks to mess around with them.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Ohdo Yuga/Sogetsu Gakuto
Comments: 13
Kudos: 12





	Air

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, since this fic is a High School AU, Yuga is 16 and Gakuto is 17.
> 
> This work is based on one of the rarer fictional diseases which can be met in Japanese fanworks, "toumeibyou" aka "Transparency Disease" which (in this particular fic) occurs when a person feels unwanted and neglected by someone they love.
> 
> Check tags carefully before reading!

Gakuto was standing in the middle of the bustling plaza. His pounding heartbeat kept getting louder and louder by second as he watched those hands of the street clock in front of him move forward and forward. Lots of people were passing him by, but he was unable to concentrate his attention on any of them as his anxious perception had turned everyone into a blurred mass. Actually, the only person he was expecting, whom he _wanted_ to see the most stubbornly refused to show up.

Another unnaturally long minute had passed when Gakuto sighed heavily and decided to check the time stated on the tickets yet again.

8 P. M. was written there as clearly as it could be. Yes, that was the exact time the movie was supposed to begin.

And Yuga-kun was supposed to show up even earlier than that, but...

But the hands of the clock kept approaching 10 P. M., completely disregarding how Gakuto felt about it. It was getting late, Ohdo Yuga wasn't coming, and nothing could be done about that.

Even though the older boy payed little to no attention to his surroundings, he still couldn't help but feel his heart clenching painfully as he watched several couples going out of the very cinema he and Yuga were supposed to go. Those lovebirds kept eagerly exchanging their impressions as they discussed the very movie he and Yuga were supposed to watch together. They were laughing, enjoying their dates... something Gakuto hadn't got a chance to experience tonight for some reason only gods knew.

And Yuga who forgot? Changed his mind? Pulled a prank and was never going to come in the first place?

Gakuto's head was about to explode as he attempted to imagine every possible scenario, but then...

"Hey there!"

The older boy shuddered and recoiled as he became submerged into his thoughts so deeply that he didn't notice the sole reason of his turmoil standing right in front of him.

"What's up?" Yuga beamed at him innocently. "I hope I'm not late?"

Gakuto stared at the younger boy in utter disbelief. Was he actually serious or blatantly making fun of him?

"So? Shall we go no..?" Yuga was cut off right away as a couple of tickets was shoved right into his face.

"Care to read it for me, Yuga-kun?" Gakuto was at the verge of his patience as he did his best to stay visibly composed.

"Huh?" Yuga blinked. "Um... "Lassie", starts at 8 P. M.?"

"And?" the way Gakuto gestured towards the clock turned out a bit too overdramatic, even if it wasn't his intention. "What time is it _now_?"

"Now..?" the younger boy turned his gaze to were Gakuto was pointing and his eyes became as round as a pair of saucers. "Wha?! It's already almost 10?!"

Gakuto rolled his own eyes back, and a moment of uncomfortable silence between the two boys followed.

"Ouch," blushing, Yuga rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'm so sorry. I didn't think it was _this_ late."

"Goodness gracious..." Gakuto shook his head. "Just what in the world were you up to?"

"Weeell..." Yuga's cheeks were still red as he chuckled clumsily. "I didn't expect that at all, but Neil decided to pay me a visit this evening, so we ended up having a brief conversation about..."

The younger boy began explaining what the discussion was, but Gakuto could no longer make out any of those words properly. His head as if became filled with lots of hot vapour, preventing him from thinking straight and making his heart thrash around in his ribcage alarmingly bad.

Gakuto had always known that Yuga and Saionji Neil shared quite an interest whenever it was about AIs, robots and programming stuff. They could easily talk for literal hours, discussing all that stuff. It was awesome that Yuga got himself a friend who didn't have to search for dictionary every time the former mentioned something quite specific, but...

It still hurt that Yuga forgot about their own arranged meeting so easily whereas Gakuto cherished the very idea of them hanging out together at long last.

Unlike Yuga who attended an ordinary high school together with Rook, Romin and some of their other friends, Gakuto ended up enrolling in a prestigious, private academy which specialised in art. The difference between his and Yuga's schedules became so vast that they could no longer spend time together like they used to back in elementary and middle schools. At best, they could meet up only twice or thrice a month... and Gakuto eagerly anticipated each and every opportunity.

So to think that Yuga managed to forget about their meeting so easily just because he got distracted by someone else... it hurt.

"...and that's how we agreed on that," smiling, the younger boy finished infodumping, and then his expression got worried as he tilted his head, looking at his friend. "Gakuto? Geez, I'm really, really sorry. I swear, I wasn't looking at the clock. I didn't think it was already that late."

"Anyway," Gakuto replied in a cool, indifferent tone. "We have already missed the movie, and I have to go home now. It is almost bedtime, plus I have lots of practical tasks to complete for school this weekend."

"Ooh..."

Another moment of prolonged silence came. Gakuto's heart still resounded with pain as he watched Yuga lower his eyes, so obviously guilty for ruining this evening.

But then the older boy could have sworn he saw a light bulb ignite above Yuga's head.

"Hey! How about we meet up next Friday then? I'll make it up to you!" the boy clasped his hands together in a praying gesture, begging. "I promise! I'll treat you to the best udon... no! Whatever you say!"

Again. Just as always, even if Gakuto was irritated, the sight of Yuga being so cute as he looked at him with those big puppy like eyes made him melt inside and let go of his negative emotions.

"Oh you..." the older boy sighed and ruffled his friend's already messy hair. "You are hopeless, you know that?"

"Heh," Yuga grinned in response. "That's what I am!"

_~~~_

It was Sunday morning when Gakuto stepped into his tiny personal art room. His haven where he allowed his heart flutter free the most. His gaze stopped at an easel that resembled almost a holy relic thanks to sunbeams touching it. The easel was made of wood and seemed quite old and shabby though a lilac silk ribbon tangled in a bow around the seat somehow softened the initial impression of the thing that looked quite beaten-up with years. 

Young Sogetsu carefully approached the easel. Even before he enrolled in his art school, this was the thing he spent hours sitting in front of. So many emotions he had experienced and made them come to life here. Gakuto walked up to the easel. There was a canvas on it. Snow white, empty canvas not yet familiar with a touch of a brush. Several of them and some tubes with paint had been waiting for Gakuto all over again. Being aware of that, the boy couldn't hold back a brief smile as a certain idea came to his mind.

He sat down and looked attentively, not even like any professional artist would, at the white, untouched canvas. A certain image appeared in the boy's head when he slowly, like under hypnosis, reached for a brush and paint. The image lit up vividly in Gakuto's mind, turning his surrounding into brightly white nothing as he left the first brush stroke on the canvas.

This whole room was basked in the gentlest light of the morning sun... and Gakuto couldn't help but imagine Ohdo Yuga. Yes, every time Gakuto thought of sunlight, that boy's image resurfaced in his mind: Yuga was so much like a sunbeam, quirky, mischievous, but his big emerald eyes were so warm that Gakuto never doubted his gaze alone would help him survive in winter. He also adored Yuga's lips with such a faintly mocking smile, his soft skin that almost as if emitted a faint glow, his fluffy auburn hair that bore a close resemblance to flame... Gakuto's exceptional painting skills had always received tons of praise from his peers and teachers, but he still could not reflect all the perfection of the boy whom he secretly referred to as "the sun child", and yet he became so fully submerged into the process of recreating his image on the easel that...

"Oh? You are already here?" a familiar voice took Gakuto aback and forced his thoughts back into the real world.

"P-papa," the boy got flustered; he felt like he was caught red-handed as he got so indulged in his sweet Yuga fantasies that he completely failed to notice his father's presence. "I am sorry... What time is it now?"

"About 8 A. M.," Spectre yawned as he approached his son; he took a stool and placed it next to the easel so that he was sitting right behind Gakuto. "And I see you have not proceeded with your morning procedures? Your hair has grown so long now that you must give it some extra care, especially after waking up."

"I apologize," Gakuto mumbled awkwardly as his father took out a hairbrush and started tending to his long strands.

"You look like a real samurai," Spectre chuckled. "So handsome. I bet you had at least a few dozens of love confessions ever since the beginning of this semester?"

"Hah..." the boy's cheeks turned red. "That did happen, yes."

Spectre's hand froze midway as he brushed his son's hair. His soft serene expression became gloomier akin to how perfectly clear skies become filled with rainclouds. And the reason for such a sudden change was an already discernable silhouette of a boy on the canvas.

"He was tardy, huh?" Spectre couldn't help but remind Gakuto about what happened this Friday.

"Oh..." the boy's heart was pricked with a tiny thorn of sadness. "Well, something came up, so..."

"That is still inexcusable," Spectre shook his head. "He could have warned you at the very least. Oh well, he was never the type to possess the highest level of good manners."

Gakuto's grip on the brush in his hand tightened. His father's remark felt like an intentional blow to his head.

He and Yuga had been friends ever since they were little kids as their fathers had known each other even before they were born. And ever since they befriended each other, Gakuto couldn't help but notice some sort of faint hostility his Papa had towards Yuga. Of course, when interacting with the boy directly, Spectre seemed really nice and all, but... there was still that weird estranged coldness in his eyes whenever he looked at him.

"Yuga-kun promised to make for it next Friday," Gakuto said, distracting himself from bizarre thoughts creeping into his head. "We are going out to eat something tasty."

"I see," Spectre's reply was automatic and emotionless. "I do hope he does not find anything more important than your company again."

Gakuto had to swallow that bitter lump which almost constricted his throat. He did his best to switch his attention back to the easel, to the way how Yuga's smile was gleaming.

 _So lovely_...

Sunbeams were only adding more light-heartedness to the picture... it was so bright Gakuto could have sworn he saw that light going through his own fingers, making them seem transparent.

But, of course, that was just his imagination.

_~~~_

"What?!" Yuga was about to explode from such a sudden news. "This Friday?! I thought they were coming on Saturday!"

"They will have to leave on Saturday morning," Yuya sighed. "Uncle Yuto won't be able to stay as he's gonna be busy, it's the same for Uncle Yuri."

"B-but, Papa..!" Yuga felt his indignation rapidly building up in his chest, threatening to burst out any moment. "This Friday is..!"

"When was the last you've seen them?" Yuya frowned back at his son. "When did we gather up all together like this? Family dinners are more important than you think."

"But!" Yuga fumed. "I already have plans!"

"Listen," Yusaku who had been previously staying out of the conversation as he was busy working on his laptop looked at his husband, "family gatherings are nice, but maybe let him go? Cancelling like that is..."

"Yuto, Yugo and Yuri," Yuya let out an annoyed groan as he scratched the back of his head, "they all live in different cities. Last time we were able to meet up together like this happened two years ago! Meanwhile, Gakuto-kun still lives here, in Goha City. If not this Friday, he and Yuga can hang out next... H-hey! Where are you going, young man?! I'm not done talking to you!"

But Yuga never bothered to neither answer nor look back. He angrily rushed to his room and slammed the door shut, locking himself in.

_~~~_

Gakuto had always been the type to become so submerged into his ultra busy daily routine that he would often forget to check his private messengers. And this week was especially filled with different stuff which was extremely important and required his full attention and engagement.

But, fortunately, it was already a Friday evening, so he could spread his wings and relax a little. Besides, Yuga was about to join him at the good old Tahayasty in about twenty minutes or so, and that made his heart leap in sweet anticipation.

He was still quite nervous though as he looked at the bouquet of sunflowers he had with him. Was it too weird to give them to Yuga? After all, even though Gakuto often associated him with those sun like flowers, it was still kinda weird to present him with a bouquet of all things...

But, regardless of his anxious thoughts, Gakuto still couldn't help smiling as he had imagined spending time with Yuga this entire week. Gosh, just thinking about it made him survive a week as grotesquely busy as this one had been. And it wasn't just about an opportunity to be treated to a delicious meal, simply getting to see Yuga, to talk to him, to hear his adorable and hazardously contagious laughter was...

"Um, hey there?" suddenly, someone put their hand on Gakuto's shoulder.

"Hmm?" Gakuto blinked as he looked up and saw Pops, the restaurant's owner, standing over him with a concerned look on his face. "What is it, sir?"

"Well..." the man rubbed the back of his neck. "It's almost closing time, my boy, so..."

Gakuto's eyes grew round and twice as huge. What?!

He frantically looked for any kind of a clock around and as soon as his gaze stopped at the one on the wall right next to him... his heart sank.

It was almost 10 P. M. all over again.

And Gakuto was so taken over by his merry fantasies of spending time with Yuga that he never noticed how quickly those two hours had passed and the aforementioned boy never showed up in the end.

Once. Again.

Keeping his artificial polite facade, Gakuto exchanged goodbyes with Pops and left the restaurant. But as soon as the boy stepped outside, a heavy sigh tore its way through his chest as pain radiated inside as well.

Gakuto barely managed to take out his phone as his hands felt unnaturally numb. Without giving it much of a thought, he opened his private messenger... and immediately saw a notification. 

" _I won't be able to make it tomorrow. I'm so sorry!! (⌯˃̶᷄ ﹏ ˂̶᷄⌯)ﾟ_ " said Yuga's message, sent yesterday at 9 P. M.

Gakuto remained numb as he put the phone back into his pocket and looked up at sky. It was such a rare view, stars above Goha City. Especially as bright as that one, so lonesome amidst the inky blackness of night.

"I wonder if I were to suddenly vanish into a thin air tomorrow..." Gakuto whispered as bitterness filled him from head to toes, seeped into his bloodstream, "... would you even notice?"

He then looked down at the bouquet of sunflowers he was holding close to his chest...

...and threw it away into the nearest trash can.

_~~~_

"No answer?" Rook asked, watching his best friend's distressed face.

"Nope," Yuga sighed as his call was once again met with robotic voice notifying him that Gakuto was out of range.

"No wonder," Romin dipped a donut in her tea. "He must still be angry at you."

"But it's been almost two weeks now!" Rook stole one donut for himself. "How long is he gonna keep this silent treatment!"

Yuga covered his one ear as he pressed his phone to another, blocking all noises of their bustling school courtyard in the middle of lunchtime, but it did nothing to help as the ending result stayed the same.

Gakuto was not answering.

"It's not the first time you let him down like that," Romin frowned at Yuga. "How many times you have been late or cancelled your meetups?"

"My dear relatives just _had to_ visit a day earlier than previously planned," the boy grunted. "There was nothing I could do about it. And I couldn't call Gakuto back then as his phone was off, like usual. I wonder if he saw my text message before the Friday evening..."

"Something tells me he did after you never showed up," Rook said, stuffing his face with the biggest donut.

"And that's why his current "silent treatment" is 100% justified," Romin nodded. "Honestly, if Rook were late to our dates for at least fifteen minutes, I would dump him immediately."

"Hey-hey!" he responded with a frown to his girlfriend's bold claim. "What's up with that?!"

"It's called "respecting your partner"," Romin crossed her arms. "There's no excuse for being that late unless some sort of an emergency happened."

"Like sudden diarrhea?" Rook's assumption made the girl facepalm.

" _Anyways_ ," she collected herself once more to give Yuga a reasonable advice, "I really think you should make some time in your own schedule and meet up with Gakuto to properly apologise. After all, his current daily routine is much busier than ours, so I can only imagine how precious he considers any time he gets to spend with you. And to think that you just miss those opportunities like it's nothing..."

"...Okay," Yuga answered her rightful scolding with yet another heavy sigh. "I get it. I'll do it."

"Oh, and don't forget to tell him we also said hi," Rook commented with his cheeks puffed akin to those of a hamster. "I wonder if he still hasn't forgotten how we look like?"

_~~~_

Yuga was completely overwhelmed as he stood in front of the gates to the Sogetsu family manor. How long had it been since the last time he visited? It must have been a whole year if not more.

Yuga's heart was thumping akin to a hammer hitting a nail. He felt as if his legs had suddenly become rooted deeply into the ground and he could no longer lift his own arms either. Even though he rehearsed his upcoming conversation with Gakuto over and over in his thoughts, he was suddenly lost when the time actually came. He felt his own tongue being tied in a knot, as if he forgot human language in one fleeting second.

Gosh... Why in the world he was _that_ nervous?

"Ah..!" Yuga gasped as the gates were opened and Ryoken, Gakuto's Dad, expressed an identical surprise.

"Yuga-kun?" the man smiled warmly. "My, it's been so long. How are you and your fathers?"

"As great as ever!" the boy laughed. "And your household?"

"All the same," Ryoken replied. "Heh, I suppose you're here to see Gakuto?"

"U-uh-huh," a faint blush appeared on Yuga's face as he shifted his eyes shyly.

"Well, I'm kinda in a hurry right now. Being late to work is such a horrible conduct, being late to anywhere is. But, please, come in."

"Haha..." Yuga lost all the vigor in his voice as his smiling face became more like a make. "Thank you, sir. Have a good day then."

"Thanks! You too!"

Even though Yuga visited Gakuto's place so often in the past, it felt nerve-wracking as hell stepping over this threshold again after all this time. This house filled with the sweetest scents of flowers even in the coldest winters... Yuga made so many precious memories with Gakuto here. Bittersweet nostalgia overflown in his heart as he knew this house so well that he could tell where anything was even with his eyes closed, so many sunlit reminiscences...

"Oh? It is you?" Spectre made Yuga shudder as he came out of the kitchen and literally scanned the boy with his icy cold gaze.

"H-hello, sir," Yuga felt that gaze crawl right under his skin and it made him slightly uncomfortable. "How are you today?"

"Lovely," Spectre's gave him a forced smile in return. "But if you are here to see Gakuto, he is currently very busy with an extremely important project for his school. Thus, he is not up for goofing around right now."

"Is that so..."

"Yes," the man shrugged. "That is why I think it would be best if you..."

"Papa?" Gakuto came downstairs. "Have you seen my..?"

He froze when he saw Yuga.

"H-hi," the younger boy's own heart skipped a beat as their eyes met.

"I think you two need to talk," Spectre crossed his arms as he turned in the kitchen's direction. "Go ahead. I'll make some tea for you and bring it in a few minutes."

As the man left, deafening silence filled the room for what seemed like an eon.

"So..." Gakuto spoke in a dull, tired voice as he refused to look at Yuga any longer. "Let us go to my art room?"

Yuga replied with a silent nod, and the two headed upstairs. They did not say a word to each other until they reached the destination.

It wasn't the first time Yuga entered this room, but it was the first time when he visited it ever since Gakuto began attending his art school. The younger boy's eyes went huge as he saw all those gorgeous paintings hanging everywhere on the walls, and each and every work was even more beautiful than all others. Neverending cycle of exquisite beauty.

"Please, take a seat," Gakuto offered Yuga a stool.

"Eh? A-ah, thanks," the younger boy blushed as he was so taken aback by how beautiful Gakuto's works were that he didn't realise he was standing in the middle of the room, staring at everything like an oaf.

"So? What brings you here today?" Gakuto sat in front of his easel, and Yuga couldn't help but notice that the canvas was hidden under a blanket... meaning that his friend wasn't actually painting right before he arrived.

"Nothing in particular," Yuga attempted to chuckle, but it turned out awkward as hell. "Just wanted to see you."

The two boys shared another moment of utter speechless before Yuga took the matter into his own hands and spoke again.

"Well, actually... I also want to apologise."

"For what?"

"Huh?" Yuga blinked as he watched his friend's stony face; no smile, no frown, only emotionlessness which was even scarier to be honest. "For what... I let you down several times already!"

"This is... fine," Gakuto sighed heavily. "We are growing up. It is only natural that our roads in life become more and more separate, and you have other priorities now."

"T-that's..."

Yuga didn't really know how to respond to it.

It was true that their routines no longer overlapped like they used to when they were younger, and yet knowing how little time they had for each other now... Whenever Yuga woke up every single day, every single week, realising that he wouldn't see Gakuto... it crushed his spirits, no matter how high they would be.

"Seriously, I'm so sor..."

"Enough," Gakuto cut him off rather harshly. "I am not angry, really."

That "really" sounded so fake and forced, and yet Yuga did nothing to point that out, choosing to leave that with no reply instead.

At that very moment, Spectre entered the room with, holding a tray with a pair of cups. Completely silent, like a ghost, he handed the boy's their drinks and, still as speechless, left.

"You know..." but then Gakuto shattered all the silence as he spoke before Yuga could even take the first sip from his cup. "I am going to have some free time this Saturday. How about we hang out at your place? Just the two of us? Somewhere around from 7 P. M. to 9 P. M.?"

"Eh?" Yuga looked at him. "Just the two of us? I thought of inviting Rook and Romin over too, but..."

"I am sorry, I..." Gakuto avoided looking back at his friend as he definitely suspected himself to be blushing, and there was no way he wanted Yuga to notice it. "It has been awhile since we had just each other's company, so..."

"You'd better treat them to something _hella_ delicious next time you get to see them," the younger boy giggled. "They've missed you just as much as I have!"

Yuga took a brief pause, and then his own cheeks grew slightly redder.

"...But I think I've missed you juuuust a little bit more though."

If only Gakuto knew how much of an understatement Yuga's "juuuust a little" was.

"Aside from that," the younger boy suddenly frowned as he took a closer look at his friend's face. "Speaking of not seeing each other for so long? Are you alright?"

"Huh?" Gakuto was caught off guard by that question. "What do you mean?"

"You're so pale, almost transparent... I think I can see sunbeams going right through your body!"

Gakuto left that with no reply. He simply stared at Yuga as if the latter said something in an alien language.

"Just kidding," Yuga laughed. "There's no way you're turning invisible out of the blue, right?"

_~~~_

"Oooh, that's great!" Romin's eyes lit up when she heard the news the next day at school. "I hope everything goes well this time!"

"Haha, since we're meeting up at my place there's no way I would miss that!" Yuga smiled back at her.

"Truuuue," the girl teased; she then said nothing for a couple of moments, but afterwards her expression turned seriously as she lowered her voice so that their conversation could not be overheard by anyone. "But still... when are you planning to tell him _that_?"

"Eh?" Yuga blinked innocently. "What are you talking about?"

"Come _on_!" Romin poked his forehead. "Geez! You obviously have more braincells than Rook, so don't you pull that card on me!"

"Heh, sorry," Yuga giggled.

"When are you going to tell him how you _really_ feel about him? Like, it's been years, but you still haven't..."

Romin made a dramatic pause at the end of the sentence, obviously not intending to finish it as she figured it was too obvious what she wanted to say.

It was no secret to their small group of four (well, three since Gakuto was excluded from the knowledge, obviously) that Yuga had always felt something a bit more than platonic when came to their purple-haired friend. But, despite his heart beating ever so fast in the said friend's presence, he never made that one big step to cross the line separating friendship and the aforementioned "something more". Yuga couldn't really explain why he hadn't done it yet... he just felt like there was some sort of a mythical seal on his mouth, preventing him from blurting his clumsy emotions out at the worst moment. And the older he and Gakuto got, the more that very seal affected him, keeping his lips stitched together.

" _I've always loved you, ever since we were kids... Will you go out with me?_ "

Those sounded like such simple words to say, and yet... Yuga was already sixteen, but he still chickened out whenever he felt like he was getting dangerously close to saying it out loud.

"I know you may be trying to let things develop slowly," Romin said. "And I do agree that rushing into those sort of things may be risky... but you and Gakuto have known and cherished each other far long before you met either me, Rook or anyone else. I honestly don't see why you two cannot take your relationship to the next level. You have always had each other's backs in all sorts of situations, you smile so much more often when Gakuto is around, and he had always made you feel safe, right?"

"That's true..." Yuga's cheeks became the softest shade of pink which made Romin smile as it let her know she was taking this conversation in the right direction.

"And, seriously, if Rook and I who used to butt heads _a lot_ are currently dating, then you two not doing so is bizarre."

"Heh..." Yuga scratched his cheek. "Who knows? You may be right?"

"I'm not telling you to confess to him straight away, but making a significant step in _that_ direction would be sweet."

"I guess I'll have to see how the evening goes then?"

"Just don't do anything overboard, okay?" Romin warned him with all seriousness. "I know your parents are going out for dinner around those hours and you two might get a little too overexcited..."

"Whoa, whoa!" Yuga's blush instantaneously turned beetroot red. "First you talked about taking small steps and now it's about not "plunging in too deep", huh?!"

"I-It's just a piece of friendly advice!" Romin's own face did a great job of imitating the ripest tomato. "What I'm saying is take your time if you feel like it!"

She and Yuga then burst into a laughter, and, afterwards, the girl gave him her softest smile.

"Well, regardless of how it goes, good luck and have fun!"

_~~~_

Gakuto felt like he was dreaming as he was on his way to Yuga's house. The only thing which reminded him that he, in fact, was not under the Sandman's spell happened to be his own frantically beating heart.

This time, he prayed to himself, this time around everything was going to be fine. It had to be as it was the third time they agreed to hang out this month and third time was the charm, right?

Yuga promised him a nice and cosy movie night plus something special... however, he refused to disclose what exactly that "special" was going to be.

" _You'll see_ ," the rascal only gave him a mysterious smile and a wink in response.

Mischievous little imp! Again, and just like he always did in the past, Yuga spiked Gakuto's curiosity to its very peak and then refused to satisfy it right away. And, thus, the older boy spent this entire day wondering what in the world his friend had in store for him... and his joyously fluttering heart did little to help bring his mind to peace either.

Anyways, regardless of Yuga's antics, Gakuto couldn't help but have his face beam with excitement.

He was more than certain that this time around everything would go well.

_~~~_

Idiot! What an idiot he was!

Yuga rushed out of his house as if it was on fire... but, in actuality, the emergency happened to be even worse than that.

A movie night with _no_ popcorn? What a blasphemy! How come he forgot this most important item on his list while doing grocery shopping earlier today?! Geez... And he had to hurry right now, too, as those heavy-looking clouds sure promised some extreme downpour happening in the nearest hour.

He ran to the nearest convenience store which was located right next to one of the fanciest night clubs in this city. Almost, almost there... Argh! Yuga tripped and fell face-first onto the ground, dropping his wallet and scattering his money around in the process.

"It hurts..." the boy grunted, rubbing his nose as he was still sprawled right amidst the street.

"Oh wow," suddenly, Yuga heard a familiar suave voice and he immediately guessed its owner even before the person in question began gathering his scattered coins. "First off, fancy meeting you here. Second, this is no place to litter. Elite people pay elite money to get into this club, so they expect at least basic neatness of the surrounding area."

"Roa!" 

"Yeah-yeah, long time no see," Yuga's reaction was met with a condescending smirk of Romin's cousin. "So what brings you here of all places?"

"Nothing in particular..." Yuga got up and his wallet was shoved back into his hands.

"Heeeh?" Roa gave him a suspicious look. "Don't tell me you've decided to risk it and try getting in here to see our tonight's live?"

"Oh?" Yuga blinked, but then connected all the dots in his thoughts. "Oh yeah! Romin said you were going to perform "somewhere disgustingly fancy" tonight! Is this it?"

"Yep," Roa said with little enthusiasm as he was so used to giving lives at places like this that it had bored him long time ago. "Anyways, don't evade my question. Did you come here to enjoy my brilliant performance? And, I guess, Romin wouldn't mind seeing you among the audience, too, as it's been awhile since you visited our previous concert."

"Heh, I'm sorry," Yuga quickly refused. "I have some plans for this evening, so I really need to..."

"Aw c'mon, don't give me this crap," Roa was not having any of that as he grabbed the other boy's forearm rather harshly and started dragging him towards the club's entrance. 

"H-hey, I'm..!"

"Like _I_ said," Roa refused to listen, "you have to be on your deathbed to miss our glorious showtime! Besides, I'm getting you in free while all other peasants had to pay crazy money!"

Unable to break free from the older Kirishima's strong grip, Yuga was forced inside the building.

_~~~_

Gakuto's limbs, no, his entire body went numb as if his muscles had been suddenly exposed to some deadly poison's paralyzing effect. And it must have affected his eyesight as well since he could _not_ believe what he just saw.

He felt like a pair of invisible wings were growing bigger and bigger as he approached Yuga's place, joy was filling his soul to the very brim... but only until he reached one of the Goha City's fanciest night clubs. Usually, Gakuto would never pay much attention to places like those... however, tonight he was forced to stop in his tracks and stare at the entrance to this establishment.

Because it tore his heart into pieces.

Yuga, the very same Yuga who was supposed to be waiting for Gakuto was going inside the aforementioned night club. And not alone but accompanied by Kirishima Roa of all people! RoaRomin's leader was also having Yuga's forearm in his grasp as if the younger boy was a lady led by a gentleman during a date. What the...

As the pair went inside the building, Gakuto more or less came back to his senses... even if they were grotesquely warped as his world had been turned upside down and his fists were clenched to the point of pain.

Yuga... The very same Yuga who literally begged to give him another chance blatantly chose to go clubbing with Kirishima Roa instead. He chose a bustling night in some pub with Roa over a cosy evening at his own home with Gakuto... not caring in the slightest about the latter's feelings.

No... Did Yuga actually... play a cruel joke on him? 

Yes, that must have been exactly what it was.

Gakuto couldn't care any less as more and more raindrops began falling all over him.

His vision turned crimson red and his blood boiled to the very point where he no longer felt cold. Only pain.

And fury.

_~~~_

It took about half an hour and Romin's assistance to help Yuga escape from that place. His heart was pounding, almost jumping out of his rib cage as he realised that Gakuto must have already arrived at his place... and never found him there. Damn!

Damn! Damn! _Damn!_

Yuga ran back to his house as fast as he could, caring neither about the popcorn he never bought nor about the horrendous downpour which made him soaked to the bones in less than a moment after he ended up outside.

_Damn! Damn! Damn!_

Gakuto must have been worried sick about him right now, wondering where in the world had his friend gone to. Not to mention, Yuga forgot to lock the front entrance, so anyone, basically anyone could go inside and do some illegal stuff at his place... Damn! Yuga wouldn't be surprised if Gakuto thought he was kidnapped or something like that. Geez! How the heck did this evening turn out like this?!

Yuga sprinted the remaining distance and was completely worn out as he stopped to catch his breath only in the middle of the entrance hallway. The boy didn't notice any signs of criminal activity as everything looked the very same way it was when he left...

But then he heard footsteps.

Yuga let out a tiny gasp when he saw Gakuto's silhouette moving, coming downstairs from the second floor.

So he really did wait for him...

Yuga wanted to say something, but he only swallowed his words instead.

Gakuto, just like him, was also drenched from head to toes. His expression was dark and showed a hint of restlessness, and yet he said nothing to Yuga. The younger boy grew tense, taken aback by the gloomy air around his best friend. As Gakuto walked, Yuga could hear the sound of water dripping off his long hair. The younger boy froze amidst the entryway, nervous as he waited for his friend to come closer.

And Gakuto stopped right in front of him.

The way he was glaring as he looked right into Yuga's eyes, this intimidating attitude made it hard for the younger boy to speak.

"Um... You're soaking wet," Yuga could do nothing but meekly state the obvious.

Gakuto said nothing in response, only kept glaring.

Unable to guess what was going on in his friend's head right now, Yuga forced a silly smile in return.

"You're gonna catch some nasty cold like that!"

Yuga tried to speak in his usual tone, but it came out awkwardly.

"Hey, let's go to the bathroom and..."

It did nothing good, only set Gakuto off when he suddenly grabbed Yuga's arm and did so rather roughly.

"H-hey!" 

Yuga gasped as his friend's grip threw him off balance and made him fall to his knees. Flustered, the younger boy raised his head and as he did... 

He looked into Gakuto's dark, looming eyes.

Water dripped off the older boy's strands of hair, and some of it ran down his pale cheeks and to his chin.

"G-Gaku... to?" Yuga hardly parted his lips as shivers ran down his spine.

"What was the meaning of _that_?" came a gloomy response.

"Eh..?"

"What were you doing _there_ with _him_?"

"Him..? You mean Ro... H-hey!"

Suddenly, Gakuto took a hold of his friend's shoulders and violently threw his own weight onto him, making them both fall to the ground. Yuga grunted and tried to get up, but was only pinned back down with even more brutal force.

"H-hey, Gakuto! Th-this is..!"

"You were there with him _..._ " the older boy repeated in a tone that was sharper than a blade.

"Gakuto..?"

"With _him_... Even though you promised... to _me_..!"

"I... Ah!"

Yuga let out a loud gasp of shock when Gakuto took both of his hands and pushed them roughly up his shirt.

"Do you enjoy making a fool out of me _that_ much?!" the older boy roared as if he was fatally wounded.

This... this was... It wasn't real, was it.?!

Yuga was sincerely horrified as he looked right into Gakuto's eyes... and couldn't tell where Gakuto was looking. His eyes were so dark that Yuga felt like he was staring directly into an abyss.

"G-Gakuto, hey... Are you oka... W-ah!"

Gakuto groaned as if he was a beast when he pushed his face into Yuga's shoulders, and, at that instant, a spark of pain coursed through the younger boy's body.

"Ouch..!"

What the... Did Gakuto just _bite_ him?!

And not only that. Right afterwards, a wet but warm feeling crept up in the same area.

"W-what are you doing.?!" Yuga's heart froze the moment his friend's tongue touched his skin.

No reply.

The bite stung, but Gakuto kept licking it. Yuga could hear the sounds of water and panting near his ear, and those were tugging at his most sensitive heartstrings, making him lose his mind in utter horror.

"Gakuto..! Stop it..!" Yuga begged, but it was futile.

The boy attempted to squirm out of his friend's, his _best_ friend's grip, but the latter held him down still, licking his neck with his teeth bared.

Why..? Why? What was going on.?!

"H-hey!" Yuga openly panicked as Gakuto lift up his clothes in a rush.

What... Just what was he doing?!

But Gakuto could not hear Yuga's inner cries. He kept licking his neck and then moved up to his ear.

Yuga's heart was racing. He still had no idea what was happening, but he knew he would be in trouble if he didn't do anything.

"Gakuto..!" he cried out once more as he fruitlessly hoped to reach his friend's hazy consciousness. "Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?! Stop! Let me go..!"

No reaction. And that was when Yuga decided to put up a serious fight. The two boys struggled for a bit, but then Gakuto, as if warning Yuga to stop now, pushed him down even harder onto the floor. He bit the younger boy's wrist, and Yuga's face turned white because of how powerful Gakuto was against him.

Yuga's eyes became filled with tears as he looked at his friend and saw that he had no intention of listening to anything he had to say. At all.

What happened to him? He sure looked like the Gakuto he knew so well on the outside, but on the inside... just _who_ was this person? Yes, it was a whole different person.

Yuga's body went cold as he realised that.

What could he do.?!

Meanwhile, Gakuto's carnivore grunts right into his ear pointed that there was even more to come. He let out a guttural, salacious sounding groan as he put his hands up Yuga's already half-rolled up shirt.

"W-wha.?! Hey..!" the younger boy's heart was about to burst as he quickly understood _where_ this was going.

And Gakuto, as if replying to him, ran his rough palms over Yuga's soft skin and rubbed his chest. And soon a panicked sweat ran down the younger boy's body with his friend's palms on his skin.

"Get... _off!_ " Yuga yelped helplessly. "Seriously, what the hell are you... Ouch!"

On both his wet neck and ear, he could feel Gakuto's hot pants.

The older boy panted and grunted into his friend's ear, no longer caring about anything in the world except this sweet body heat and odour... Yuga's body heat and odour.

"Gakuto... Gakuto!!!" Yuga tearfully pleaded once more.

But Gakuto held back all his attempts to break free with his terrifying strength and licked over his ear. And all Yuga could hear was the sound of saliva flopping all over and in his ear. This was what made him finally lose his ability to think.

Yuga frantically tried to turn his head away... but then he felt something awful in the lower half of his body. 

And Gakuto felt it, too. He quickly put his hands down in his friend's pants and then in his underwear. He held Yuga's exposed cock in his strong grip, squeezing it to the point of pain.

"Idi... ot! Stop it..." Yuga cried as his manhood was rubbed and stroked all over. "No... Let me... Let me go..!"

Completely taken over and frazzled, Yuga tried his hardest to get away.

But Gakuto refused to let go.

Why... Why did something like this had to happen..? And with... Gakuto..?

A sharp pain suddenly rushed to Yuga's head as his memories came flooding into his head all at once. All those sunlit... innocent days where he and Gakuto enjoyed spending every single minute they got to be together... and their happy smiles...

Gakuto's beautiful smile...

"Ah..!"

But then Yuga was forced back into the filthy reality when Gakuto started to violently jack him off. And... it felt somewhat good, even if it was more mortifying than anything else.

"Please..." Yuga sobbed. "No more..."

No more of this...

That was... too awful!

"No, stop it..!"

He didn't want this... he didn't...

"...Stop, STOP IT, Gakuto!!!"

Yuga somehow mustered enough strength to scream at the top of his lungs, catching the older boy off guard. 

Gakuto stared back at Yuga, and the latter could finally see consciousness going back to him. The older boy gasped in shock as he looked down at his friend and saw what state he was in. He frantically opened and closed his mouth as if trying to say something, but...

Yuga was no longer having any of that.

He raised his now free hand up...

And punched Gakuto right in his face.

"Ah..!" but then the moment of blind fury died down just as quickly as it occurred when Yuga saw what he had done... however, he was still too much overwhelmed with shock to actually say "Sorry!" out loud. 

Yuga's right hand still shivered from the hit, so he clutched onto it with his free one. He looked at Gakuto's speechless face, and tons of questions swirled inside his head.

Why? Why did all of this had to happen? What in the world..?

Yuga kept looking at Gakuto for at least some sort of an answer. Anything was fine. He just wanted him to say something. Anything at all, either expressing his anger or confusion... anything!

But Gakuto just pushed his lips and refused to say anything. The cheek Yuga hit was slowly turning red. And the unwanted silence kept piling up.

"Why..?" it was Yuga who pleaded for a response through gritted teeth as tears rolled down his face. "Why?!"

He started to shiver, no longer giving a damn that he was literally having a breakdown right in front of Gakuto.

"Why aren't you saying _anything_.?!" 

Yuga was about to drown in this sadness... but no matter what he did, his best friend would not respond.

And then, they separated. 

Gakuto got up and, having made an awful frown as he closed his eyes, slowly turned his back to Yuga.

And just like that, he simply left the house without a word. As the door closed, Yuga had finally felt as if the time began moving again. His shoulders still shook as he was taking frantic breaths, unable to come back to his senses fully... Pain pulsed inside his head as he let out a shaky sigh. The strain and terror lingered and the inside of his ear had gone numb. He could still feel the wetness both there and on his neck...

And it hurt so much that he was ready to die.

_~~~_

"I am sorry," Spectre said. "He is staying home today as well."

Ranze and Rinnosuke exchanged worried looks. They had heard those exact words every day for the last two weeks.

It was inconceivable, it truly was. Ever since Gakuto-sama began attending school, he never skipped even a single day. And to think that currently he had been absent for so long... the twins were too scared to imagine what kind of situation had arisen that made Gakuto-sama do something like that.

"Um..." Ranze asked nervously. "How is his health, sir? I hope everything is alright?"

Spectre did his best to keep his calm facade, even though his own heart was breaking as once again he was forced to give his son's friends sugar-coated lies.

"He feels better these days. I am certain he will join you at school in a day or two."

He said those very same words yesterday, and the day before yesterday, and last week... so he knew all too well how fake they were.

As there was no telling when Gakuto was going back to school.

"In that case..." Rinnosuke said meekly. "Please, give our best regards to him."

"I will," Spectre replied with all seriousness.

The twins said goodbyes to the man and proceeded to go to school on their own.

"I wonder what sort of illness that might be..?" Rinnosuke mumbled under his breath.

"You know, Rin... Something tells me there's more to it than just some sickness."

"Huh?" the boy looked at his sister. "What do you mean, Ran?"

"Well... I managed to speak him on the phone yesterday," she confessed. "And, frankly speaking, his voice did not sound too well."

"He answered your call?" Rinnosuke was surprised; they hadn't been able to contact Gakuto-sama all this time, so it was a miracle that he actually picked up the phone.

"He did, but, like I said, his voice..."

"What is it?"

"Gakuto-sama..." Ranze expression turned tense and dark as she hesitated. "He sounded dead inside."

_~~~_

There weren't many opportunities for Ryoken and Yusaku to talk as they worked in different departments of Goha Corporation (Ryoken was a member of Cyber Police and Yusaku managed AI Development) but, from time to time, they happened to come across each other during lunchtime.

"How is your family doing?" Ryoken asked and received Yusaku's heavy sigh in reply.

"Not really well..."

"Has anyone gotten sick?"

"It's Yuga... but I cannot really say what has been going on with him lately. Neither I nor Yuya can get anything out of him. He doesn't seem sick, he, like usual, goes to school, and his grades haven't dropped... however, it looks like something is bothering him. And that something may be quite serious."

Ryoken stayed silent for a few seconds and then uttered in a grim tone:

"It's the same with Gakuto."

"What..?" Yusaku looked at him.

"But it's even worse as he stopped going to school... Actually, he locked himself in his room more than two weeks ago and has been refusing to talk to either me or Spectre. We have to also bring him his dinner as he wouldn't dine in our company... and, apparently, he hasn't been contacting his friends lately as well."

"Is that so..?" Yusaku became submerged into a deep thought and then voiced his assumption. "Two weeks ago, you say? Wasn't that when he and Yuga were supposed to hang out at our place? That evening, when Yuya and I came home, Gakuto wasn't there and Yuga seemed quite distraught for some reason."

"Can it be," Ryoken frowned, "they had some sort of a conflict?"

"Did Gakuto say something about it?"

"No... He wouldn't tell us anything."

The two men shared a prolonged moment of sombre silence, each of them fending off various dark scenarios that wouldn't stop coming to their mind.

"We..." Yusaku was the first one to voice his thoughts, "...definitely should keep an extra close eyes on them. They might not want to discuss it with us, but we're still their parents. If something comes up..."

"If this really has something to do with Yuga, I'll make sure to let you know," Ryoken promised.

"Expect the same from me," Yusaku nodded.

_~~~_

"You haven't been acting like your usual self lately..." Romin asked, her voice was filled with genuine concern which was also written all over her face. "Did something happen?"

Yuga figured that this question would come up as soon as she asked him to meet up with her on the rooftop for a private conversation. Yet he still decided to keep his chill mask and smile as if nothing had happened.

As if his soul wasn't torn to shreds.

"Nope," he let out an incredibly forced giggle. "Nothing is out of ordinary, I swear."

But the way Romin's blue eyes pierced him right through let him know that she wasn't buying his lies in the slightest.

"Every time you say "I swear"," the girl lowered her gaze. "I know something is up."

She said nothing more for about a minute, gathering her thoughts and picking the most appropriate words, and then sighed.

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. But, still, I can clearly see that something has been going on with you, and, as your friend, I can't help but worry. I know there might be nothing I can do to help you out, but even so... I can at least listen if you feel like sharing."

Yuga was unable to hold back a smile. Romin had sure come a long way from being a scared little girl who preferred hiding in her shell and silently enduring mistreatment by her cousin to the person who was willing to open her own heart and support others. 

And yet... Yuga was still too hesitant to confide what happened between him and Gakuto to her.

"Say," Romin suddenly spoke up. "Does it involve Gakuto in any way?"

Yuga became petrified.

"W-wow," he blushed as he chuckled bitterly. " You've become so perceptive."

"Not really," Romin shifted her eyes. "I just connected the moment you began estranging yourself from everyone to that evening when you and Gakuto were planning to spend together. And, I figured, Gakuto must have been upset with you being late again."

 _Upset_.

Yuga's limbs felt numb, creeps were once again all over his skin when memories of that evening were forcefully revived and dragged into the light, torturing his poor heart as images were flashing in front of his eyes.

Gakuto who turned into a literal beast, Gakuto who remained deaf to all his pleadings, Gakuto who lost his sanity to the point where he didn't hesitate violating his body... Gakuto who had so much anguish in his eyes that a normal person would have to live a thousand years to experience it all fully. 

Yuga had always known that Gakuto, the Gakuto he spent almost his entire with, would never do anything like that normally. One could never find anyone as caring and as kind... but, even so, Yuga was never ignorant to the fact that Gakuto had always been the type to suppress his feelings. Especially negative ones. And it was quite a common knowledge that people like him, those who kept bottling up everything inside... they would eventually, inevitably explode at some point.

And that was what must have happened to Gakuto, Yuga understood that.

Even if he didn't know what he should do now, even if he had no idea how should he act around his best friend in case they happened to be a part of each other's lives any further... Of course, Yuga wasn't foolish enough to not understand that their relationship was no longer the same. Pretending like nothing had happened would absolutely make it crumble right there, it would never work out.

Him and Gakuto... they couldn't go back to how they were used to be anymore.

And Yuga didn't want that. He still didn't want their bond to be broken like that.

Even after what happened, he still couldn't bring himself to hate Gakuto.

Yes, even if what he did was so terrifying... what hurt Yuga the most was that he knew exactly why it happened.

The two of them were getting older, and their Roads of Life were straying farther and farther from one another. But even if both of them were aware of the fact, neither of them did anything to accept the change that was inescapable for their relationship. 

None of them would... make that first crucial step to cross that line.

Sure, it was frightening, but ignorantly pretending like they were fine with staying the way they had been only made things worse.

"Damn," Romin tsked, "if only Roa hadn't..!"

No, Roa had nothing to do with that.

The responsibility was shared exclusively between Yuga and Gakuto. If only they had been more honest, more open to proper communication...

If only Yuga had never played his "the mysterious boy who would read everyone like an open book but keep his own soul in the dark" part... If only he had never made Gakuto feel like their relationship was a constant cat-and-mouse game!

...If only he had confessed to him, made it clear how much he had always loved him.

"There's no way I can know how much Gakuto is angry at you..." Romin said. "But I still think you two should talk it over. Having no closure is the worst in any case."

 _That's right_.

Even if Yuga and Gakuto's Roads were never meant to become one, they still couldn't use it as an excuse to not at least figure everything out before bidding their farewells. Even if they were never meant to be together...

They needed a closure, no matter what.

"Heh... Thanks!" Yuga's face brightened and it caught Romin fully off guard as she stared at her friend's beaming smile, his usual beaming smile. "You're the best!"

"Huh?" the girl blinked. "Wha... Ah!"

Romin's face went from normal to tomato red in a matter of seconds as Yuga lunged forward and squeezed her in a big embrace.

"Thanks to you, the boy whispered, "I know what I have to do now."

"T-then do your best?" Romin mumbled as she couldn't help hugging him back.

And Yuga felt like he was able to breathe freely once again.

_~~~_

"No changes, huh..?" Ryoken said darkly as yet another week had passed in a blink of an eye.

"Absolutely," Spectre, just as distressed, put some dishes on the tray. "The school has contacted me yesterday, and, I suppose, they can already tell there's something off about his "prolonged disease"."

"Is there anything we can do?" Ryoken rubbed his temples wearily. "We're literally watching our son's life vanishing into a thin air, and yet..."

"Do _not_ say that!" Spectre panicked; primal fear, most known only to genuinely loving parents, flashed in his blue eyes. "He is going to be alright! We just have to wait!"

"He has been avoiding both us and the rest of the outside world," Ryoken stated the bitter truth. "He chose to hide inside his shell even if it has been obvious that we can see his pain. Can you remember the last time he had something he preferred to keep a secret from us?"

"No..." Spectre's heart became overflown with pain as he turned his gaze to dozens of their family photos, photos which showed nothing but Gakuto's happy smiles. "Our boy has never been like that."

"If only there was someone who could reach out to him, who he could confide to... I wonder when Yuga-kun is going to pay us a visit?"

"Hoh?" Spectre's tone turned icy cold. "But Yuga-kun is not his _only_ friend, darling. Besides, if he hasn't honoured our household with his visit by now, I doubt he would do so in the nearest future."

"I thought they had always been quite close though..."

A brief moment of silence laced with uneasiness followed, and afterwards Ryoken gave his husband a sharp suspicious look.

"Say, could it be the case that Yuga did come, but you kicked him out?"

"I can't believe you," Spectre glared back at him. "You _know_ how much I cherish basic hospitality. How could I kick that boy out if he never showed up here in the first place?"

"I'm sorry then..." Ryoken sighed after another pause. "It's just that..."

All of a sudden, they heard sounds of a door opening and closing, some footsteps and then the same actions with another door on the second floor.

"Was that..?" Ryoken's eyes widened.

"The art room!" Spectre's own eyes lit up as he grabbed the tray.

He hurried upstairs as his soul was fluttering with the biggest joy. His boy going to the one place where he had always been surrounded by the beauty he created with his own hands, the very place where he poured his heart out freely... it was a good sign!

Spectre smiled all the way down the corridor and until he reached the door. He gently opened it and let himself in... and the tray fell out of his hands, crashing and spilling all its contents onto the floor.

"Papa..?" Gakuto looked at him as he sat in front of his easel.

Spectre barely maintained his balance as he staggered at the threshold. His face turned deadly pallid as animalistic fear gripped his heart. 

No... No! This could _not_ be happening!

But no matter how he prayed to let it be just his eyes cruelly deceiving him, it wasn't the case.

Gakuto, his little boy, was sitting there, basked in the sunlight... and that very sunlight was seeping right through his body.

The body which became semi-transparent. 

_~~~_

Yuya always knew that something was wrong whenever his son refused to eat his special "Mr. Smiley-Emoji" udon. But this time something was _horribly_ wrong as Yuga didn't even look at his most favourite dish let alone have a bite of it.

"Something tells me it's not a mild case of bad mood," Yuya did his best to look as cheerful as usual, even if he was worried about Yuga's spirits being way too downhill these days. 

The boy ignored his father's attempt to make him smile at least like that.

"Okay then," Yuya dropped his forced jolly attitude and turned serious, having decided to risk it and ask directly: "Is it about Gakuto? You still haven't been able to visit him?"

Yuga shuddered, his face became even gloomier.

"I see..." Yuya sighed. "Just what the hell is wrong with Spectre? I've never been able to understand much of what's going on in that man's head, but this? This is just inconceivable!"

Despite what Spectre told Ryoken, Yuga did try to see Gakuto, ever since he had made that decision to figure everything out with him. But it was all in vain as Gakuto's Papa was not having any of that.

" _I have been tolerating you for long enough, young man_ ," Yuga could still hear the man's hostile tone echoing in his thoughts. " _You have done enough damage. Leave and forget the road to our house for good!_ "

Yuga had always suspected that Spectre-san never liked him much, but to think the man would lash out at him so openly... and what was that about the "damage" he mentioned? Was there something wrong with Gakuto? How bad was that something?

Yuga could not answer those questions, and it was making his anxiety rise drastically.

What was going on with Gakuto? Was he alright?

No, he definitely wasn't. Otherwise Spectre-san wouldn't have said any of that so straightforwardly. His son was obviously suffering, and Yuga always knew how much Gakuto was loved by his Papa.

"Something is..." Yuga said quietly, "...going on."

"I have no idea what's the big deal," Yuya huffed, "but should I tell about it your Dad? So that he could convince Ryoken-san to talk some sense into his dear spouse?"

"Wha... No!" Yuga's abrupt reaction took his Papa aback. "Don't. I have a strong feeling it may only make things worse."

"Geez..." utterly confused, Yuya scratched the back of his head.

Yuga felt bad for not giving his Papa more details, but he wasn't foolish enough to not realise that talking about what happened that rainy evening would absolutely destroy his chances of ever coming in contact with Gakuto. After all, his Papa would react in the very same way as Spectre-san by forbidding Gakuto ever come any close to him.

No, there _had to_ be some other way!

_~~~_

Gakuto never knew how cold moonlight actually was. Or was he getting that sort of impression because his body turning translucent somewhat sharpened his sensations? Regardless of what it was, it still felt indescribable.

Not every day he was literally vanishing into a thin air.

Back when he was little, he often wondered how the Little Mermaid (not the Disney version, but the original one) felt as her body was dissolving into foam and then turned into air? She became one with the wind, no longer bound to any physical form. ...Was her soul really free of heartbreak as she disappeared from the face of the earth? Gakuto couldn't help wondering whether it would be the case for him as the biggest difference between him and the ocean maiden was that in the very end she never went through with the most horrible option she had... unlike him who ruined everything by giving in to his insanity.

He never wanted to hurt Yuga. He would rather torture himself than cause even a single teardrop roll down his face. He was ready to die millions of most gruesome deaths if that meant making Yuga safe and sound.

He just wanted Yuga to be happy... so why did that have to happen? How come he managed to throw away everything good they had by committing something so unforgivable?

Disgusting. It was so disgusting that as soon as he realised what he had done, he wanted to crawl out of his own skin. There was no longer any purity in their relationship... he desecrated it by giving in to his madness.

All those feelings he kept bottling inside for years... they came flooding, bursting out all at once and it could not be stopped, just like no one can stop a rushing flow of a mountain river. His consciousness got caught into a whirlpool of heartbreak, pain and betrayed hope. He never thought of Yuga's well-being as he strived to own him, violate and claim every last bit of him.. and it was the worst.

No matter what he would do now, that horrific night would never disappear from Yuga's memory, his heart would remain scarred.

And that alone was enough for Gakuto to see his own inevitable death as the triumph of justice.

After all, he _was_ a monster.

_~~~_

"Heck, I never thought it was _this_ bad," Rook said slowly, still processing what he just heard. "What the fuck is wrong with Gakuto's old man?"

"Since he is a stay-at-home father, he currently gets to be around Gakuto 24/7 like a dragon guarding a princess."

Yes, Yuga was joking, even if what was going on with his soul at this very moment happened to be the farthest thing from funny. He had been hardly getting any proper sleep these days. Both his nighttime slumber and daydreaming were filled with Gakuto and only him. Every, even a momentary, fleeting thought of him tore Yuga's heart asunder.

He wanted, no, he _needed_ to see him so badly! Some mysterious hysterical voice kept lamenting, echoing withing his heart that something devastatingly terrible would happen if nothing changed soon.

Something... that Yuga would never be able to forgive himself for.

"A dragon, you say..?" Rook rubbed his chin as imaginary gears were moving inside his brain, and then, suddenly, he was blessed with a truly brilliant idea. "Hey, Yuga! If that's the case, why won't you leave it to me?"

"Huh?" Yuga stared at him, wide-eyed. "To you?"

"Yep!" Rook's grin was as shiny as a thousand light bulbs. "You know, I can help you get inside the house by distracting Gakuto's obstinate mule of a father!"

"But how..?"

"Easy. We all know how much he looooves his precious garden, right? But what if some hooligan were to sneak in there and start causing some trouble? Break some trees, stomp on some flowers? It would absolutely make the old man rush outdoors in a heartbeat and give you at least some window of time to sneak in there!"

"I dunno..." Yuga's right eye twitched as he imagined the entire scene and assessed the potential risk. "You will be murdered in cold blood if Spectre-san catches you."

" _If_ that grandpa manages to do so!" Rook huffed and jerked his chin up proudly. "I do run faster than the wind, duh."

Yuga gave him another distrustful look, so he grew even more stubborn in return.

"Besides, I'm a pro when it comes to dealing with _any_ sorts of dragons. Have some faith in me, man! I have no freaking idea what happened between you and Gakuto, but I do know that you need to talk it over."

"Heh," Yuga chuckled as he was actually moved by his friend's unconditional support. "I suppose if you're so up to it, nothing I say will change your mind?"

"Keep dreaming!" Rook gave him a big thumbs up.

_~~~_

This was it. Everything was nearing its end.

But, shockingly, he didn't feel any grief. It seemed like all his worries were melting along with his flesh. No anguish, no painful pounding within his chest, no thoughts... the only thing that still lingered though was a little bit of regret.

He turned his gaze to the unfinished portrait on the easel. What a sunshine smile that was... It was the last thing he wished to see before perishing forever, its warmth was the only thing he wished to feel before plunging right into the darkness of oblivion. If only just for a few seconds... he wished he could still touch solid objects and give Yuga, even if it was nothing more than his image on the canvas, the first and the last kiss.

Memories were flashing right in front of his eyes, bittersweet memories of those days when there was still a chance.

A chance for them to cross that one line and be happy, together.

But it was too late now.

It couldn't be undone as Sogetsu Gakuto was approaching his demise.

The pure white-winged angel that was his past self who would never commit a sin as horrible as what he did kept reprimanding him.

And all he could do at this very moment was pray.

Pray for Yuga to be happy.

That was all... he ever wanted for him.

_~~~_

Yuga never thought he would feel so bizarre inside this house. This place were he made so many of his happiest memories... it seemed so cold now, as if it transformed into a crypt. The very air became suffocating, and Yuga could hardly tell that this was actually the place where he always felt at so much ease.

All of a sudden, Gakuto's cosy home became hostile.

Yuga grew more and more paranoid with every step he took. His legs were wobbly and his throat was dry. It felt so unreal as he was slowly making his way forward and forward and until he reached the stairs to the second floor.

Rook, as promised, lured Spectre out of the house and was now hardly escaping the man's wrath after having ruined so much of his flowers. And Yuga never wanted his friend's "sacrifice" go to waste, but... he froze right in front of the aforementioned stairs, unable to keep on moving. It felt as if he was stuck in Limbo without any possibility to either proceed or retreat.

How was it gonna go? What would he say to Gakuto? How would Gakuto react to him?

It was too much like plunging right into the boundless Nordic ocean without testing waters first, and the chills that kept running down Yuga's spine had blatantly made him paralysed.

And, aside from that, his memory still kept torturing him as it was reviving those awful sensations from back then... Yes, Yuga's own senses were messing around with him, reminding him about the way Gakuto's hot breathing burned his skin, how Gakuto's beastial grunts reverberated in his soul causing him endless dread.

But, most of all, Yuga felt extremely nauseous as he remembered how _ready_ his best friend was to violate his body, how roughly and cruelly were his hands handling him.

Yes, even if Yuga knew Gakuto's mind was severely darkened at that moment... it was horrendous nevertheless.

And now he was about to face him again without really knowing how to act and what to say.

"You didn't have to involve your friend," a sudden voice coming from behind his back made Yuga shudder. "Spectre wouldn't have been able to do anything about your "trespassing" with me around."

The boy turned around and saw Gakuto's Dad looking at him with mournful eyes.

"Sir..."

"What?" the corners of Ryoken's lips turned up slightly in what wasn't even a real smile, just a ghost, an echo of it. "Never expected to see me at home at this hour? I don't give a damn about what Goha might say when my son is dying."

_Dying..?_

That single word shattered Yuga's heart into a million pieces, made him forget about everything else in the world.

"S-sir..?" the boy could hardly speak as he refused to believe what he just heard. "What do you..."

That couldn't be true, right?!

"I," but Ryoken did not look like he was joking, "don't know how long does it take before he disappears entirely... It's my fault as well, but you... even if there's the slightest chance to reverse it, you should try seeing him. To tell the truth... I believe you're the only one capable of saving him. I wish Spectre understood and accepted it, too... But I'm the one who made it impossible in the first place."

Gakuto's Dad went silent for a moment or so and then gave devastated Yuga the most serious look he had ever given him.

"The art room. Go ahead. Go see him. He needs it. And, please, whatever happened between you two... I believe he never wanted to cause you any harm. He has always cherished you above anything else."

Yuga was still paralysed with shock, but, as soon as Ryoken gave him a nod, snapped out of it and dashed upstairs.

His heart was beating as fast and erratically as an alarm bell. His vision became so blurry that he could no longer see where he was heading. It felt like a nightmare, as if the floor was crumbling underneath his feet, as if the sky itself was about to come crashing down onto his head.

How..? Why?! What was going on?!

Even though those were the exact same thoughts Yuga had when Gakuto was about to break both his body and mind... it didn't matter anymore.

Even if what happened that rainy evening still haunted his mind... as soon as he heard he was about to lose Gakuto forever, it became overshadowed by genuine concern and fear.

Only Gakuto, only his well-being mattered!

After all, even if what happened was horrible, it didn't erase all sunlit, happy memories of their carefree days when they were children... and Yuga still realised that Gakuto would never normally do that.

Gakuto had always done his best to make him happy, he had always been honest with him... even if he lacked courage to cross that one line as they were still kids.

But they weren't kids anymore.

And Yuga also had so much to tell him. If only he had told him how he felt about him, in a direct and honest way and not dropping obscure hints instead...

They would have been so much happier now.

Yuga was almost out of breath when he reached the art room's door. His heart was going crazy inside his chest, but there was turning back. He didn't want to turn back anyway as escaping right now would mean an act of devastating betrayal... and, considering it was what Gakuto had in his thoughts that night, doing so was unacceptable.

Thus, Yuga pushed the door open with no hesitation.

_~~~_

But when he ended up inside, he was stunned. There weren't any signs of Gakuto's presence in the room, and yet something about the very atmosphere felt off. Like, really off. Unexpectedly, this cosy room made him feel quite claustrophobic. His senses also got twisted as he couldn't tell what was with this sudden surge of anxiety which filled his soul to its very brim.

"Yuga-kun..?" a feeble, disembodied voice echoed out of nowhere, sending shivers all over the boy's body.

"G-Gakuto?" no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't see his friend anywhere.

But then, suddenly, Yuga noticed some strange distortion of the air right in front of him... and as he took a closer look, his heart sank.

That "air" had faint outlines of Gakuto's silhouette.

"I am sorry you have to see me like this," the older boy said humbly.

"What the... You're "sorry"?! What happened to you?!" Yuga was unable to hold back his emotions as he reached out to touch Gakuto's face, but failed to do so cause his hands went right through.

Gakuto did not respond immediately, making Yuga's nervousness rise to the most critical level.

"...First of all, please, do not be mad at my Papa," the older boy said quietly. "There is a reason to his attitude towards you, even if I have never agreed with it."

"Huh..?"

Another moment of silence, and then Yuga saw the ripple that was Gakuto's completely transparent body move as the boy in question raised his hands slightly, taking a closer look at them.

"This condition..." he said in a dull voice of someone who was doomed. "It is a rare, genetic disorder. I have inherited it from Papa. And its main pathogen is... crippling insecurity."

"What do you..?" Yuga became horribly confused.

"Papa has always been a chronically paranoid person, ever since he was a child... And Yusaku-san... your Dad has always caused my Papa nothing but constant anxiety. Yusaku-san and my Dad used to have all chances of becoming a couple in the past, you know. Yes... Before your Dad met your Papa, there was an actual triangle going on among my parents and Yusaku-san. And even after my Dad did chose my Papa... the issue was never solved entirely. Papa still holds a grudge against Yusaku-san... and, by extension, it affects the way he treats you."

"...Let me guess?" Yuga could hardly believe his own ears. "Spectre-san felt so miserable that he used to have the very same condition you have right now?"

"Right... And it is called a "neglected heart" disease. Whenever someone feels like they do not matter or are being neglected by the one they have the strongest feelings for... they just start literally vanishing into a thin air, _becoming_ the air itself. Papa has always believed it was Yusaku-san's fault for almost making him disappear... and that, in turn, led him to assume that you, as "the thieving cat's son", would inevitably hurt me."

"...And his assumption turned out to be true, huh?" 

It sure explained a lot, but... Yuga still had a hard time believing all of this was real.

In fact, it seemed so grotesquely surreal that he _hoped_ it was all just an illusion, some bizarre mirage, a nightmare at the very least... 

But it _was_ real.

And it _was_ his fault.

"It is my fault," Yuga flinched as Gakuto immediately, as if had read his thoughts, shifted the blame onto himself. "You have never done anything wrong... It is I who ruined everything. I deserve to disappear."

"No... It's not true!" Yuga's eyes became filled with tears a heartbeat.

"It is," but Gakuto was adamant. "What I did to you that night... things like those can never be forgiven. I am a monster. Perishing for good is the only way for me to atone properly. I..."

"Don't... say it!" Yuga sniffled as he wiped his face with the sleeve of his jacket.

"Regardless of how I felt, I should have never done that... but I felt entitled anyway."

"Entitled..?" 

Because Gakuto's body was almost completely translucent, Yuga couldn't see his face either, even though he could still somehow tell it must have been contorted with pain and grief.

"Ever since we were kids..." Gakuto's voice became treacherously shaky and nervous, "...I have always been fascinated by you. I cannot help being drawn to you as I have always found you so interesting... so intriguing. You have kept filling my thoughts every day, every single moment. ...You may not want to remember it, but it is also about when I lost my sense that night."

"I'm listening..?" Yuga prepared himself mentally, trying his hardest not to let his negative sensations from that time to cloud his judgement, no, he was willing to look back at the situation again with clear mind, as much as it was possible.

"My brain was hazy," Gakuto began in a stifled voice, "so I do not remember much of it... forgive me. But I do remember a part of it dimly. I never meant to touch you... in that way. However, back then I... became overwhelmed with certain sensations. It was wrong, very wrong to act on them in the first place, but I... I..."

Something about his awkward tone made Yuga feel somewhat embarrassed, too, and he could have sworn that if he could see Gakuto's face at the moment, it would be just as red as his.

"I-I have known you for a long time and always thought of you as an important friend. That is why I have always been so serious when it comes to you. But then, at some point... I could no longer stop thinking about you 24/7. I think because our daily schedules are so different now and we do not get to see each other as often anymore... you have occupied my thoughts instead, as if compensating. How many times I thought about what were you doing at this or at that moment? There was no way I could get those out of my head... Please, do not get angry at what I am about to say, alright?"

"What is it..?" Yuga's heart was beating so fast, overflown with this weird mixture of excitement and anxiety.

"W-well," Gakuto stammered, "it is sort of... indecent."

Yuga was stunned as he could clearly sense this strange air of awkwardness around them, but Gakuto kept talking.

"Even though I cannot help but realise how weird it is to think of a friend like that... Actually, honestly, I have come to a conclusion, but... I just kept turning away from it, trying as much as I can not to notice it. You are my best, my dearest friend, so I have been trying to kill it off in my mind... But I never could, and I still cannot. It is not going away as it is so much stronger than my pathetic will. I do realise it is so strong that I can never kill it.

Gakuto became silent again, and Yuga could no longer bear this bizarre atmosphere between them.

It all felt so dreamlike... but what he could say in return?

He couldn't gather his thoughts at the moment, so he felt another streak of awkwardness.

"...And I, uh," suddenly, Gakuto took a deep breath...

And made Yuga's heart beat out of his chest with what he said next.

"...It... It looks like... I have seriously fallen for you."

Yuga's whole world turned upside down, his cheeks and ears became the darkest shade of crimson, he could feel his body temperature rise all the way from his toes and to his face, and yet that surge of overwhelming warmth he experienced flooding his chest...

It was amazing.

And then shivers ran down Yuga's spine as Gakuto, even if they were unable to touch each other anymore, still tried to take a hold of his hand.

"...I love you," the older boy whispered as his own heart pounded. "Ever since we were kids, I have always loved you."

That warm feeling burned up in Yuga's chest, causing him to let out an excited breath.

What should he..?

His chest felt so tight, it was almost painful to breathe.

"However..." but then Gakuto's voice turned tense. "You have always been the one who could read anyone like an open book, so I figured you must have already known how I feel... and, at some point, I started doubting you. And my Papa only kept adding fuel to my assumption... that you must have been messing around with me, that you most likely enjoyed toying with my feelings. At first, I stubbornly refused to believe that, but as we began growing apart... I could not help but accept such a possibility, that you enjoyed making me feel frustrated since you have captured my heart and refused to let it go... You made me feel trapped and hopeless, so as all those recent events occurred and, especially, when I saw you with Roa... my patience had just come to its end. I wanted to take it all out on you, make you feel my pain... I know it cannot be taken back, what happened that night, but I'm still begging for your forgi..."

"You don't have to."

Yuga's earnest tone made Gakuto shudder as he saw the sunlight wrap the younger boy's silhouette in what looked like the softest halo.

"You think you've been the only one who lacked courage?" sadness became apparent in his emerald eyes. "Even though we've always been together, even though you've been there for me forever and ever... I always knew you were doing all of that because you loved me, and yet I... I kept thinking of you as just an important childhood friend. A precious friend, but... that is such a lie as I kept refusing to accept reality. I've been trying to tell myself that because I've been too scared to admit my feelings... But now I realise I cannot keep lying to myself, and lying to you! I have to be honest with my feelings... You're the most caring guy on earth, you're the most selfless, loving person I've ever met. Ever since we were kids, ever since we were together, I... I've never doubted you will do your best to do anything for me. Because of you... I never feared anything, you have been my courage, my wings... I love you, and I'm sorry I was never courageous enough to properly convey it."

And then, all the ice between them was broken at once. Yuga gasped, it felt like an electric shock running throughout his body when Gakuto threw himself onto him.

And he was no longer a misshapen air but his normal, flesh and blood self.

"Yuga..!" Gakuto squeezed the younger boy in the tightest embrace.

Finally... that invisible line had been crossed.

Gakuto pulled away just slightly to take a better look at his friend's, no, his beloved one's face.

And he realised he would never be able to recreate it on any canvas.

Never.

Yuga... _His_ Yuga was too precious and his shining, his warmth could never be reproduced on a mere painting.

"So, um..." Yuga's cheeks became the softest shade of pink. "I-is it okay if we... start dating from now on?"

"You are making my dream come true," Gakuto chuckled, his own face turned as red as the most gorgeous rose in its full bloom. "But I was expecting... something else happen before that?"

The two boys looked into each other's eyes and couldn't help smiling.

They both knew what they wanted.

Since their height difference was still significant, Gakuto had to lean forward and Yuga get onto his tiptoes... but this small inconvenience stopped matter for good as soon as their lips pressed together in the gentlest, the sweetest touch.

Their first kiss.

"Yuga..." the older boy let out a shaky gasp as he felt his consciousness being washed away, flooded by his beloved one's blissful warmth...

But then the moment was roughly cut off by a blood-curdling scream coming from outside.

"O-oh!" Yuga covered his mouth.

"Huh?" Gakuto blinked. "Is that... Rook-kun?"

"Haha," Yuga scratched the back of his head. "I totally forgot about him, yikes, and I guess Spectre-san did catch him."

Gakuto gave Yuga an utterly confused look, but then his boyfriend's arms were wrapped around his neck all over again.

"Before we come down to deal with that," the younger boy blushed. "How about another small kiss?"

Gakuto smiled and granted his request.

After all, he could never say no to Yuga's adorable face.

_~~~_

"Geez..." even a whole week later, Rook still had all those bandaids on his face. "I hope the batshit crazy psycho that your Papa is has already calmed down?"

"I think you should wait a month more before coming over for a visit," Gakuto gave him a sincerely awkward smile in reply.

"Is everything at least finally okay between you t..." Rook oomphed as Romin elbowed him right under his ribs.

Like, duh, how more obvious could it possibly be? Especially as their friends had been cuddling ever since the very beginning of their double date?

"I do wonder though," Romin looked at Gakuto, "what Spectre-san thinks of this?"

"Whether Yuga and I should or should not be together..." the older boy shook his head. "It is not his decision to make. It has never been, so he can only try and make his peace with the fact."

Although Spectre never did show much enthusiasm as Gakuto announced that he and Yuga decided to take their relationship to the next level, the man never opposed it aggressively.

Spectre, even if he had always had his own uncured, festering wound in his heart, as a loving father he still prioritised his son's happiness. Especially, since it was Yuga who saved Gakuto... there was no way he could continue being hostile towards the former. And even though it was yet a bit too early about the two of them receiving Spectre's blessing, Gakuto still intended to keep on nourishing this fragile hope until, one day, it would blossom into reality.

"My parents and Ryoken-san approve it 100%," Yuga grinned with his head still put on his boyfriend's shoulder. "They've always thought we are _sweet_ together."

"Your relationship is still, like, a long-distance one..." Rook scratched his head. "I mean, I can't imagine not seeing Romin for several weeks in a row."

"At least that way they won't get annoyed with each other as often," Romin rolled her eyes.

"No need to worry!" Yuga gave his friends a playful wink. "The two of us intend to make up for it every single time~"

A moment of extremely uncomfortable silence lasted for less than five seconds yet felt like an eon.

"Y-Yuga..!" Gakuto's face became tomato red.

"You didn't have to give us _that_ sort of details," Romin facepalmed.

"Sorry," Yuga laughed. "I've always been a little bit of a troll, yep."

"That "little bit" is a huge deal of understatement," Rook smirked. "But we love you anyways. Right, Gakuto?"

"Hell yeah," he smiled in return, entwining his and Yuga's fingers even tighter as they held hands.

_~~~_

"Whoa!" a month later, Yuga couldn't help letting out a gasp of awe in Gakuto's art room. "This is..!"

"Do you like it?" sitting in front of his easel, the older boy asked, even if the answer was way too obvious as Yuga's eyes literally sparkled, glued to the very portrait of himself Gakuto had been working on all this entire time.

"Are you kidding me?!" Yuga giggled, hugging his boyfriend from behind and wrapping his arms around his shoulders tenderly. "This is the best! Even Mona Lisa pales in comparison!"

"You are giving me a little too much credit here," Gakuto chuckled humbly.

"Oh yeah!" Yuga remembered. "Rinnosuke and Ranze said something about an exhibit your academy is holding in five days. Could this be..?"

"No way," Gakuto shook his head. "I am not planning to make this work my entry."

"Eeeh? But this is so beautiful!"

"That is precisely why. Besides, this one is... way too intimate for me to let any bystander see it. And, frankly speaking, I have been considering setting it on fire in our backyard."

"Whaaaa?!" Yuga almost collapsed from shock. "What the..?! Why?!"

"I just think I do not really need this imperfect copy of Yuga anymore... since I have a living, breathing and absolutely adorable original right next to me," Gakuto smiled at him.

"No-no-no!" Yuga protested fiercely. "You _cannot_ do that! No way!"

"W-why not?" Gakuto struggled to breathe in as his boyfriend hugged his neck a bit too tightly.

"Why?" the younger boy pouted. "Because I think this painting is the loveliest I've ever seen! And even if it's not meant for anyone else's eyes, it doesn't deserve such a gruesome fate," he took a small pause and then huffed. "And I do believe someone here doesn't give himself as much credit as he deserves."

"Yu... waah!" Gakuto yelped as Yuga suddenly made him fall off his bench.

"Come. On!" Yuga laughed, pinning him down onto the floor in a playful manner. "Don't throw away your work like that! Can you imagine me destroying any of my Roads?"

"No way," Gakuto laughed.

"You've put so much love into that painting... and I love it, too! So everything's fine and awesome!"

Speechless, the two boys simply stared at each other for a moment or two and then burst into laughter so loud it could quite literally shake the earth.

"Boys?" the pair did not immediately hear Spectre' knocking and then him entering the room. "I brought you some..."

A frown of disapproval flashed across the man's face for the briefest of second, but then he only sighed and spoke in his most polite and calm tone.

"It is about time you have some tea, young men. Here."

"Oh!" Yuga sat up on the floor to take the cup offered to him and, as soon as he recognised the sweet fragrance of the drink, beamed. "It's honey-lemon-ginger tea!"

"Naturally," Spectre had a brief pause and then added in a quiet voice. "How can I ever forget Yuga-kun's favourite drink? You have been literally growing up in our house."

"That's true," Yuga gave him his warmest smile. "And everything in this house plus your tea have always made me feel extremely comfortable. Thank you, sir."

Spectre remained stunned for a few moments and then left without any word.

"Your Papa is such a wonderful person, isn't he?" Yuga smiled as soon as the door closed.

"Even if..." Gakuto's eyes widened at those words, "...even after he treated you that way?"

"Even so, yeah," Yuga nodded. "He acted that way because of his love for you... and, actually, I've spoken to my Dad about it. And about their past... you know, the "triangle" situation he, Ryoken-san and Spectre-san had."

"...And what did Yusaku-san say?" Gakuto was all ears.

"He admitted there had never been anything _like that_ going on between him and Ryoken-san," Yuga giggled. "After all, Spectre-san has always been the one Ryoken-san loved the most. It was never a mistake the two of them chose each other and no one else in the end. Spectre-san is such a kind, caring and devoted man... and you take after him so much, so there's no way he's anything but a wonderful person."

"Yuga..." Gakuto's heart skipped a beat.

"I'm sure if we ever get to have children of our own..." Yuga's face turned extra red. "...You're gonna be a father as awesome as Spectre-san."

"You... You think of things way too ahead in the future," Gakuto's cheeks grew even redder.

"Do I?" Yuga laughed. "Then what do you usually think of?"

"I simply enjoy spending every minute I get to be with you," Gakuto sipped his tea, smiling serenely. "And dream of us getting to be together for the rest of our lives."

"Awww!" Yuga startled his boyfriend by throwing himself into his embrace and laughing. "How many trees there's gonna be then in our neighborhood? How many dogs are we gonna have? How many little rascals are gonna run around garden?"

"L-like I have just said!" Gakuto barely held onto his cup as he hugged Yuga back. "I do not imagine things that far in the future! Aside from that, dogs? What about cats?"

"Ah, sorry-sorry!" Yuga made a cute silly face, stealing Gakuto's breath and heart away. "Then we're gonna have 50/50 of each?"

"Oh you..." Gakuto smirked as he put his drink away and forced a laugh out of his boyfriend by making them both fall back down onto the carpet and snuggle. "You little rascal!"

"That's what I am and have always been!" Yuga laughed so much his tummy hurt. "And I love you, too!"

The two of them looked into each other's eyes, spotting their reflections in those most intimate soul mirrors, and exchanged some more small laughs, pressing their foreheads together like they would always do when they were younger. And then, akin to how a raindrop encountering sunlight gives birth to rainbow, their personal universe exploded in thousands of bright colours as their lips met in the softest kiss.

Yes, out of pitch black darkness and into the purest, snow white light... that was how the two of them felt as they kissed, drank each other akin to the sweetest nectar.

There was no longer any place for either loneliness or sadness within their tiny cosy world, the world which was meant for just the two of them. As long as they held onto each other like they always did, the outside world was a little more safe place as well. As long as they laughed together, wiped each other tears and strived to walk the same Road of Life...

Everything was meant to go well. No doubts.

**Author's Note:**

> Phew... I guess I CAN write some decently big fics when I become angry enough! I am really, really proud to say that this one is not just my biggest GakuYuga work but also my biggest work on AO3 so far! ^O^
> 
> So yeah, I've decided to write this fic as Gakuto has not been getting the justice he deserves. Like, really? What's up with his weird Dueling record so far? He deserves more wins and spotlight than he is currently getting! This boy is ready to follow his friends at all times, and yet he has been kinda sidelined? This boy deserves the whole world for his kindness and patience! Seriously, he's an underrated angel who's always been there to make sure Yuga's antics won't cause him or anyone else harm, he "survived" Romin's culinary experiment... and he has to endure Rook's dumbass shenanigans, that alone is already heroic.
> 
> I sure hope he gets more action and development and love in the future! We all know how he can kick ass AND stand up for his friends! This boy deserves his moments of victories and spotlight (plus, GakuYuga is cute af, I don't make rules ;3 )


End file.
